Top 100 Hits of 2020


This year I reactivated Mel's Current Top 20 weekly chart. I decided to do this after 18 weeks of 2020 had already passed. The first chart was published during the week of May 7, 2020. The first #1 song upon reactivation was The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town", which to me became the anthem of the 2020... the first year of COVID-19. The song was a reaction to the worldwide lockdowns, closure of many businesses and a new way to deal with everyday life.
"Living in a Ghost Town" held on to the #1 spot on my chart for 8 weeks, spending a total of 15 weeks on. It ended up being my #1 song of 2020. 

Since I came up a bit short of songs for my year end chart, I had to mine several songs that came out in 2019 that I would have probably listed on the chart had it started in January. Hence you will see familiar titles such as Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" @ #2 and Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" at #5. I will call these holdovers from late 2019 that would have probably been on my chart. There are about a dozen of these songs on the Top 100.

Since this weekly chart contains only 20 positions, songs come and go through the chart fairly quickly, usually about 8 to 10 weeks, though several last longer. This year a song only needed to be listed at least for one week at any position to make it to the chart. Hence we got one week performers such as the Foo Fighters "Shame Shame" scraping in at the lower positions. Doubt that will happen next year.

Some interesting notes about the Top 100

The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town" was barely a hit on most charts. I suspect it got some rock radio airplay. It went to #1 in Germany only, #2 in Scotland, and #61 in their native UK. On the U.S. Hot Rock and Alternative chart the single went to #3... which is not too bad for a niche genre.

Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" is a carryover hit from 2019 and its follow-up "Before You Go" were long lasting #1 hits on my chart. While not officially released as a single, the bonus album track "Let It Roll" went to #2 on my chart.

Taylor Swift had a big year, scoring 4 tracks on my Top 100 chart. Three of those were #1 hit.... "You Need to Calm Down" a 2019 carryover track, "Cardigan" from her Folklore album and just scraping in before the calendar flipped to 2021, "Willow" from her latest Evermore. "The Man" from her Lover album was a #3 hit with "Betty" from Folklore coming in at #7.

Only in Hawaii would Katy Perry's "Harleys in Hawaii" would go to #1. It did on my chart though it was a carryover from 2019. She also scored with "Daisies" and "Smile".

Rock had some big tracks this year... In addition to The Rolling Stones, AC/DC had a huge hit with "Shot in the Dark" from their latest album Power Up. Other rock songs that scored included Blossoms' cover of The Beatles "Paperback Writer", Tom Petty& the Heartbreakers "Leave Virginia Alone," Bruce Springsteen's "Letter to You", Sixx:A.M.'s "Maybe Its Time" and "Caution" by. The Killers.

One of the most unusual songs to make the Top 20 this year was a 43 year old single track from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album. Stevie Nicks' "Dreams" made a big chart comeback after the song was featured in a viral TikTok video posted by Nathan Apodaca lip synching to it while riding a skateboard and drinking a bottle of Ocean Spray juice. The video has become legendary and sparked a host of imitators including Nicks herself and bandmate Mick Fleetwood. In 1977 "Dreams" became Fleetwood Mac's only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. This year it got listed again on the Hot 100 peaking at #12, which is the same position that it made it to my Current Top 20 chart.

Paul McCartney scores two songs on the Top 100. "Home Tonight" is a carryover single from 2019 that went to #2 and his latest, "Find Your Way" just made it in this year by being a #10 hit for the second week on the chart (Dec. 31).

Several K-Pop songs made it to my Current Top 20 chart. The biggest was by K-Pop girl group Blackpink. "How You Like That" held on to the #1 spot during part of the summer for 4 weeks, good enough to place it at #4 for the year. They also scored hit singles with "Lovesick Girls," "Ice Cream" (with Selena Gomez) and "Pretty Savage". All of the tracks were featured on their debut LP The Album.

The other K-Pop group to hit the charts this year was boy band BTS. They had a #1 hit with "Dynamite" and came back with another record called "Life Goes On".

These are just some of the songs worthy of my mention. There are plenty more. Just check out the video playlist and chart below.  



THE TOP 100 HITS OF 2020
As compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts.

RankSong TitleArtistPeakTAP*Total Weeks
1Living in a Ghost TownThe Rolling Stones1815
2Someone You LovedLewis Capaldi1724
3Do What You Can (featuring Jennifer Nettles)Bon Jovi1512
4How You Like ThatBlackpink1418
5You Need to Calm DownTaylor Swift1414
6Before You GoLewis Capaldi1316
7Shot in the DarkAC/DC1312
8What The Future HoldsSTEPS1312
9Harleys in HawaiiKaty Perry1219
10Watermelon SugarHarry Styles1216
11CardiganTaylor Swift1213
12Zen (featuring K.Flay & grandson)X Ambassadors1213
13A Good Song Never DiesSaint Motel129
14Something in Your EyesSTEPS118
15DynamiteBTS1114
16Supalonely (ft. Gus Dapperton)Benee1114
17WillowTaylor Swift113
18Let It RollLewis Capaldi2512
19MemoriesMaroon 52322
20Home TonightPaul McCartney2219
21Adore YouHarry Styles2216
22JoleneChiquis featuring Becky G2213
23Maybe It's TimeSixx:A.M.2212
24Who's Laughing NowAva Max2212
25WonderShawn Mendes2211
26Kings & QueensAva Max2210
27Only HumanJonas Brothers2111
28Rain on Me (with Ariana Grandé)Lady Gaga219
29Tales From The LoopPhillip Glass & Paul Leonard-Morgan219
30Tick Tock (featuring 24KGoldn)Clean Bandit & Mabel216
31The ManTaylor Swift3210
32Beautiful People (featuring Khalid)Ed Sheeran3119
33SenioritaShawn Mendes3117
34I Don't CareEd Sheeran with Justin Beiber3115
35BluebirdMiranda Lambert3113
36Nice To Meet YaNiall Horan3112
37GirlfriendCharlie Puth319
38Tangerine SkiesDeclan J Donovan4213
39SmileKaty Perry4210
40Lovesick GirlsBlackpink4111
41I HopeGabby Barrett4110
42DaisiesKaty Perry419
43What's Your Country songThomas Rhett415
44GoldenHarry Styles539
45Bad GuyBillie Eilish5121
46YouthGrouplove5111
47PatienceChris Cornell519
48What's Love Got To Do With ItKygo, Tina Turner517
49Mood24kGoldn f/Iann Dior513
50Paperback WriterBlossoms627
51I Think We're Alone NowBillie Joe Armstrong617
52The Worst in MeRob Thomas7113
53Joan of Arc on the Dance FloorAly & AJ7211
54BettyTaylor Swift729
55Fingers CrossedAgnes718
56Ice CreamBlackpink featuring Selena Gomez717
57I Love My CountryFlorida Georgia Line819
58Letter to YouBruce Springsteen818
59SomebodyDagny817
60Oh Santa!Mariah Carey814
61Level of ConcernTwenty One Pilots937
62Sweet MelodyLittle Mix928
63You're Not AloneSemisonic927
64Leave Virginia AloneTom Petty & The Heartbreakers916
65Nobody But You (featuring Gwen Stefani)Blake Shelton1036
66Blues Comin' OnDion1028
67Club ZeroThe Go-Go's1026
68Cowboy Coming HomeChris Petersen1026
69Legends Never DieOrville Peck, Shania Twain1016
70Rescue DogTrain1016
71Wake Up RomeoCaro Emerald1016
72AnxiousKate Voegle1015
73Find My WayPaul McCartney1012
74Nobody's LoveMaroon 51128
75Let Me Reintroduce MyselfGwen Stefani1112
76DreamsFleetwood Mac1225
77How They Remember YouRascal Flatts1225
78911Lady Gaga1216
79SupermanKeith Urban1216
80HeroWeezer1215
81I Should Probably Go To BedDan + Shay1215
82Life Goes OnBTS1214
83X (featuring Karol G)Jonas Brothers1324
84The RisingNancy Wilson1317
85One Too ManyKeith Urban & Pink1315
86Black and WhiteNiall Horan1314
87CautionThe Killers1314
88Sleeping On My DreamsJacob Collier1425
89Hot StuffKygo, Donna Summer1415
90DigFanny Lumsden1412
91Pretty SavageBlackpink1514
92The Good Old DaysJohn Paul White1514
93Say SomethingKylie Minogue1513
94DreamerChris Osmond1613
95Hey!Bryan Lanning1713
96Therefore I AmBillie Eilish1713
97No Time For Love Like NowMichael Stipe & Big Red Machine1712
98News TodayBlack Eyed Peas1911
99BummerlandAJR2011
100Shame ShameFoo Fighters2011
      
 Compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts
* TAP = Total Weeks @ Peak Position
   

THE ENTIRE TOP 100 COUNTDOWN 
STYLE FROM #100 to #1 on SPOTIFY.

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